Dinner For Two
by Shena1
Summary: It's been a very long week. She hasn't been to the loft in a few days, and she'd promised to make him dinner. Just the two of them. A quiet evening at home. Together. [One-Shot]


**Okay… why didn't anyone ever warn me that writing Castle fanfic is almost as addictive as the show itself! :o**

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She looks utterly exhausted.

He knew it had been a long week, but he didn't realize quite how taxing it had been until she walked through the door into the loft. She was completely drained and he knew it.

But she hasn't been to the loft in a few days, and she'd promised to make him dinner. Just the two of them. A quiet evening at home. Together.

He likes the sound of that. Together. He can't help himself from smiling at the thought.

"Any requests?" she asks as she makes her way into the kitchen after removing her stylish boots and tossing her coat across the back of the couch.

"Surprise me," he replies with an impish grin.

She simply rolls her eyes and smirks as she opens the fridge. "Fine with me. I hope you like liver and onions."

"If you make it, I can guarantee I'll love it."

She almost chokes on her laughter. "Wow. Can you get any cheesier?"

"If I really try, I probably could. Give me a few minutes," he winks as he makes his way to the couch.

He sits down on the cushioned surface, strategically locating himself so that he can watch her work. She never ceases to amaze him. To surprise him. He keeps wondering how he got this lucky, why the Universe chose to bless him with her, but he keeps coming up empty.

She is beautiful, no doubt about that. But it's more than her looks.

She is so talented, smart, funny… God, he loves her brain. The way she thinks. And her wit? He thought he was quick, but she schools him every time. And that's what makes the verbal sparring so fun. And he knows that she loves to tease him just as much as he loves to tease her.

She suddenly looks up at him from the pages of the recipe book. "What?"

"What what?"

"You were staring at me."

"I was just thinking how amazing you are."

"Flattery won't get you a better dinner you know," she says with a grin.

"But it might get me breakfast in bed..." he teases.

She cocks her head to the side and throws him a look that says, 'Seriously?'

"You sure you don't need me to help," he asks earnestly.

"No, I'm good. I'm a big girl now. I can tie my own shoelaces and everything," she smirks.

Oh, of this he is very aware.

He knows she can take care of herself.

She's crazy intelligent, is so well-read, and can handle weaponry incredibly well. And her aim? Okay, his is excellent, but he is more than willing to concede that hers is so much better. But he'd never tell her that, of course.

And she is so good at problem solving. Yes, she thrives on logic and reason, but he also knows that she'd not afraid to think outside the box when necessary. Break the rules. Be impulsive. It's one of the things that he adores about her.

Yet he also understands that she's not perfect. Far from it.

She's made her fair share of mistakes, put her foot in her mouth, held back when she should've opened up to him about certain things. But he's come to accept this about her. That as well as he knows her, she still has her fair share of secrets. Mysteries. Layers. But this is also a part of what makes her so incredible. He knows her better than anybody, but he loves that he continues to discover something new about her everyday.

Discover something new about this wonderful, phenomenal woman.

He can't stop himself from smiling at the thought.

As she opens the pantry to gather ingredients, she lets out a yawn.

"Tired?" he asks innocently.

"Yeah."

"You need to get off your feet for a bit. Come here," he says as he opens his arms.

It's evident just how exhausted she is as she quickly relents - lethargically making her way over to the couch, plopping herself down beside him, allowing him to fold his open arms around her.

"I stopped by the morgue on the way here," she mumbled into his side.

"How come?"

"Missed talking to Lanie… you know… socially."

He can't stop the smile from forming on his lips. Lanie's been so good for her.

The stillness wraps around them like a cocoon for several minutes, the two of them finding comfort in the silence.

"I've missed this..." she murmurs, partially to herself.

"Missed what?"

"You. Simplicity. Just being able to cuddle with you on the couch. No worries…"

"Yeah," he nods as he gently caresses the hair cascading down her back. "I've missed this too."

They hold each other for a few more minutes, just relishing their moment of peace together.

"I should really get cooking if we want to actually eat something before sunrise," she says quietly, tentatively unpeeling herself from his embrace.

He observes her as she slowly pads her way to the kitchen, footsteps evidently quite heavy. They really should eat something, but it's been an extremely long week. And he knows that she promised to cook for him, but it's quite obvious that what she really needs is rest… and lots of it.

He walks over to the counter and wraps her in his strong arms. He loves this feeling, enveloping himself around her… keeping her safe. Making sure that she knows she is cared for. That she's loved.

"I was thinking…"

She looks up at him, locking her eyes with his.

"I know you wanted to cook for me, but maybe you could make breakfast instead?

She cocks an eyebrow but says nothing.

"Stay," he says, his voice soft and calming. "Stay here tonight. Get a good night's sleep. You're wiped."

She sighs as she tucks her head under his chin and wraps her arms around his back. "Maybe I could call Stefano's instead?"

"If that's what you want," he whispers softly into her hair.

"Fresh basil and sausage?"

"Perfect."

She leans back from his embrace for a moment, and then toes herself up to brush a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I love you," she smiles, her blue eyes meeting his own.

"Love you too, Pumpkin."

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**Don't hate me.**

**I've been told that people love twisty thises and melodramatic thats… hope that's true. :D**

**So there you go… Judge away.**


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